


Sing For Me

by ThisIsLitaE



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Barisi - Freeform, Barisi Opposites Challenge, Crush at First Sight, Cute, Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, Love at First Sight, M/M, Singing, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26606071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLitaE/pseuds/ThisIsLitaE
Summary: Rafael goes to a bar, only to find himself captivated by the musician playing there. The way Sonny sings brings up long forgotten butterflies. It feels like every note is meant for him.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34
Collections: Barisi Opposites Challenge





	Sing For Me

Rafael burst into the dimly lit bar, desperate to take his mind off work for a while. He hadn’t been to that particular Brooklyn venue before but it offered the closest opportunity for a drink. At first glance he saw the bar was full of the younger professionals and student crowd, which he usually tried to avoid. The bar was also quite hot, causing Rafael to immediately remove his jacket. On any other night he would have been at his preferred venue, but he didn’t want to risk running into his colleagues. Even a workaholic like Rafael Barba needed a break from lawyers every now and again.

He ordered a scotch on the rocks, hoping the ice would counteract the heat. Spotting a table against the wall and out of the way, he made a beeline for it. Unfortunately, an affectionate couple beat him to it. Rolling his eyes, Rafael settled for a table out in the open. He took a sip of scotch and let the smooth taste flow down his throat, trying to block out the people surrounding him.

A light suddenly came on above him, which caused Rafael to look up from his glass. It was only then he noticed the raised floor in the corner. Seeing the microphone and speaker set up, Rafael deduced that this platform was acting as a stage. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. As much as he wanted to savour his scotch, he wasn’t keen to stick around for some subpar band.

His mind changed quickly when he noticed the person setting up. Rafael’s eyes went wide as he took in the unexpected sight. The tall musician was almost too handsome for belief. A long sleeved Henley hugged the man’s slender body in all the right ways. An amazing smile donned his face as he set up his acoustic guitar. Even though Rafael estimated the musician to be nearly a decade younger than himself, he couldn’t help being smitten.

“Hey, I’m Dominick Carisi but friends call me Sonny,” the man made his introduction. His eyes scanned the crowd, stopping when they reached Rafael. “I’m going to play a few songs for you, so enjoy.”

Smooth guitar music filled the air as Sonny strummed away. A beautiful voice soon joined in, crooning words in Italian. Rafael could understand only bits and pieces, but was captivated nonetheless. Something about the way Sonny sang made the ADA feel like every word was meant for him. A quick glance around the bar saw that others, mainly twenty-something women, had the same feelings.

Rafael recognised some lyrics speaking about love. During these words, his eyes found Sonny’s again. It was ludicrous to think that the musician had those thoughts towards him, considering they hadn’t even met. But that was the effect Sonny’s voice had on Rafael. Logic went out the window with every note.

Rafael went to take a sip of his scotch, finding that he had finished his drink. Despite vowing to leave the venue after a single scotch, he knew that walking out the door was impossible. There was no way Rafael was leaving until Sonny’s beautiful voice stopped singing. Barely taking his eyes off the stage, Rafael managed to get another drink from the bar and return to his table. As he sat down, the first song faded out with some soft whispers in Italian. Rafael was one of the first to start clapping at the song’s conclusion.

Sonny’s next two songs were upbeat, mainstream cover versions. While normally not Rafael’s preference, the ADA found himself tapping along on the table to the beat. Some of the more inebriated patrons had taken to dancing near the stage to the well-known hits. Rafael couldn’t help but feel annoyed when they ended up blocking his view. Still, the sound of Sonny’s voice made him smile and melted away the stress.

“Okay, I’m just the warm up for one of my friends so this will be my last song,” Sonny advised. Again he glanced at Rafael as though speaking directly to him. “Hope you like it because I wrote it myself.”

Rafael was a little disappointed the set was so short. He finished his scotch and waited for Sonny to start the original song. The guitar introduction had Rafael leaning forward over the table, wanting more. Sonny’s voice began to croon once again, causing butterflies in Rafael’s stomach. He absorbed Sonny’s emotional lyrics.

_I will take you in my arms,  
And protect you from harm,  
Because I care.  
I’ll make sure that you know,  
That I’ll never let you go,  
Because I care._

Rafael applauded in appreciation once the song finished. He stood up and prepared to approach Sonny, channelling his courtroom confidence for a good first impression. Unfortunately, the musician’s other admirers had the same idea. Within a minute, Sonny had three women talking with him as he packed up his guitar.

The ADA once again felt the heat of the venue creeping up on him. As tempting as it was to force his way through to Sonny, Rafael let it go. Chances were good that the younger man was straight and into people closer to his age. Rafael picked up his briefcase and headed for the exit, unable to deny the disappointment he felt from walking away.

The evening breeze hit him immediately upon leaving the venue. Rafael took a deep breath of the refreshing air. He glanced back at the door, tempted to give Sonny another shot. The excited nervousness of a crush was a feeling long forgotten by the workaholic. It couldn’t hurt to at least try, given how strong Rafael’s feelings had become from four mere songs.

As luck would have it, Sonny came out the door. Rafael couldn’t stop himself from staring openly at the musician. He smiled to try and hide how fast his heart was beating. Sonny approached him, close enough for Rafael to see his eyes were a beautiful ice blue.

“Leaving already?” Sonny asked, cocking an eyebrow curiously.

“I’d stay if the place wasn’t a sauna,” Rafael explained, shaking his head. “Surely they are violating some code with that heat.”

“Tell me about it! I was sweating so much with that light in my face,” Sonny commented before hanging his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, I guess I’m a little smoother on stage.”

Rafael sniffed out a laugh at Sonny’s unexpected bashfulness. “Actually, I find your honesty refreshing.”

“Well, in that case, can I buy you a drink?” Sonny asked, accompanied with a grin that was hard to resist.

“On the condition that we go somewhere else to have it.” Rafael replied without hesitation. He didn’t even try to hide his eagerness to spend time with the younger man.

“That’s a given. Though I should probably drop my guitar off at my apartment first,” Sonny explained, motioning down the street. “It’s only a few blocks away.”

Rafael gave a suggestive smirk in response. “Is this some kind of ploy to invite me back to your place?”

“That wasn’t my intention, hand to God,” Sonny stated with a laugh, holding up his hand as though swearing. “But I can’t complain if it’s working.”

The two of them started walking down the street towards Sonny’s place. Rafael kept stealing glances at his new friend, catching Sonny doing the same thing. There was a comfortable silence between them as both men wondered what to say next.

“So, do you play a lot of bars in Brooklyn?” Rafael enquired, breaking the silence.

“Actually I’m a cop. I just do this for fun,” Sonny’s expression flickered ever so slightly as he spoke. “Need something to take the edge off some of the things we see, you know?”

Rafael nodded in understanding, particularly as that day had given him a rough case. “As a matter of fact, I do know. I’m a prosecutor with the Brooklyn DA’s office.”

“I go to night school at Fordham Law!” Sonny exclaimed, causing his face to light up even more.

Rafael listened to Sonny talk excitedly about his classes. It seemed the one thing the younger man was more passionate about than music was the law. As they stopped at a crosswalk, Rafael felt Sonny’s hand slip into his own. A pleasant rush of tingling ran up his arm. The ADA remembered how nice hand holding felt, particularly with someone he liked so much.

“This is me, I’ll be right back,” Sonny stopped in front of a building, giving Rafael’s hand a squeeze.

The moment Sonny’s hand slipped away, Rafael wanted it back. He grabbed the other man’s arm gently, advising him without words not to leave right away. His eyes fell to Sonny’s gorgeous lips. Rafael eased forward, waiting for any objections. Sonny quickly closed the gap between them, meeting Rafael’s lips with his own.

The kiss was even better than Rafael expected. Warmth spread throughout his entire being as Sonny nibbled his bottom lip. The ADA dropped his briefcase in order to pull Sonny closer. He flecked his tongue against Sonny’s lips, coaxing an opening. Rafael let out a soft moan as the kiss deepened. He loved feeling the sweet tongue dancing with his own. He loved tasting the mouth that sang such beautiful words.

“Wow,” Sonny whispered as their kiss eased off.

Rafael snuck a cheeky peck and stared into Sonny’s eyes. “Good to know you enjoyed that as much as I did.”

“You sure you don’t want to come up?” Sonny asked, nuzzling Rafael’s nose.

Rafael hummed, pretending to think about it. “Well, if you insist.”

Sonny cupped Rafael’s cheek, pressing their foreheads together. “You’re cute, you know that?”

Rafael chuckled at the comment. He hadn’t been called cute in a long time. But from Sonny’s mouth, the compliment genuinely flattered him. He claimed another kiss, smiling against the younger man’s lips.

“Are we just going to stand here all night?” Sonny picked up his guitar case and tugged suggestively at Rafael’s hand.

Rafael sighed, knowing that he should clarify expectations with his new companion. “I should tell you, I’m not the type of person that does one night stands.”

“That’s why I’m inviting you up, to find out what kind of person you are,” Sonny said, giving Rafael’s hand a squeeze to cement his point. “Besides, I couldn’t stop at one night after _that_ kiss.”

Rafael could feel himself beaming and couldn’t resist a quip. “Well then, if I come up you have to give me a private serenade.”

Sonny laughed and ushered Rafael into his building. “Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> *Barisi Opposites Challenge: Sonny is the one who can sing  
> *Apparently I don't want to work on my original stuff, so here we are  
> *This nice bit of fluff should balance out the angst from my last posting  
> *Thank you for reading. Kudos and Comments are much appreciated, should you choose to leave them.


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